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Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Phil, Willie, Sam and RIP Willow

Ground dog is celebrated on February 2nd. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when the groundhog
emerges from its burrow on this day, then spring will come early; if it is
sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its
den, and there will be six more weeks of winter.

Groundhog Day was
adopted in the U.S. in 1887. Clymer H. Freas was the editor of the local paper Punxsutawney
Spirit at the time, and he began promoting the town’s groundhog as the
official “Groundhog Day meteorologist”.

Modern customs of the
holiday involve celebrations where early morning festivals are held to watch
the groundhog emerging from its burrow.

In southeastern
Pennsylvania Groundhog Lodges celebrate the holiday with social events in which
food is served, speeches are made, and one or more plays or skits are performed
for entertainment. The Pennsylvania German dialect is the only language spoken
at the event, and those who speak English pay a penalty, usually in the form of
a nickel, dime, or quarter per word spoken.

The largest Groundhog
Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Punxsutawney is a
borough in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, United States, 84 miles northeast of
Pittsburgh. Groundhog Day, received widespread attention as a result of the
1993 film Groundhog Day.

America's most iconic weather forecaster, the
Pennsylvania groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, "told" the president of the
groundhog club spring is coming after not seeing his shadow at Gobbler's Knob
in the town northeast of Pittsburgh after he emerged from his burrow shortly
after 7:20 a.m.

In Canada, the first of
North America’s famed, four-legged forecasters, given Nova Scotia’s time zone, Shubenacadie
Sam didn’t see his shadow this morning as he scurried from his tiny shed at a
provincial wildlife park northeast of Halifax. Although it was a brisk morning,
a sign stuck in the snow outside Sam’s shed reading, "Yay!
I didn't see my shadow," making it clear Sam expects warmer weather to be
on its way.

Ontario’s Wiarton Willie
issued his long-term forecast later today as his community celebrates the
albino woodchuck’s 60th anniversary. “Well, for those hoping for 6 more weeks
of winter… you’ve got your wish. I saw my shadow,” the groundhog declared on
his official Twitter account.

But this year’s
festivities have already been marred by the death of Sam and Willie’s westerly
counterpart Winnipeg Willow. Groundhog Day celebrations have been cancelled in
Manitoba due out of respect for Willow, who died last Friday at the Prairie
Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.

A CHRISTMAS ANTHOLOGY

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I'm a Canadian author who writes murder, mystery, medical thrillers, romantic suspense, often set in Montana on a ranch. I recently dived into self-publishing and I love the challenge. It's exciting. Hunted was my first novel, then Missing and Targeted, the third in the series, set in Montana. Another series about an assistant PI, A Cruise to Remember and A Murder to Forget . By Design, on cloning. And I'm working on Death Southern Style set in New Orleans. I'm hoping to finish it by the end of September. Check them out and let me know what you think.